Rural Health Researchers Receive Special Recognition
During CSRHA Conference

The Rural Health Research Network (RHRN) held its first annual poster session in conjunction with the California State Rural Health Association (CSRHA) annual rural health conference on December 5, 2005. The poster session featured 12 presentations on a wide range of rural health research findings, capturing the attention of attendees during the conference reception. Poster titles included:

  • Understanding the Changing Demographics in Rural Communities and the Effects on Accessing Health Services
  • Quality of Life Among Patients Receiving Behavioral Health Services
  • Factors Contributing to Recruitment and Retention in Rural Health Practices
  • Crossing the Quality Chasm in Rural S.E. Kern County
  • Recruitment of Family Physicians into Rural California …. Predictors and Possibilities
  • Helping Diverse, Rural, Underserved Patients Prepare to Meet with a Breast Surgeon or Oncologist
  • Perceived Barriers to Expanded Use of Hospital Services: a Multivariate Analysis
  • Mountains Community Healthcare Access Program
  • Primary Care Services as Part of a Community Disaster Recovery Effort
  • Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Service Line Advertising in a Small Rural Hospital
  • Chiropractic Demonstration Project: More than just treatment intervention Workforce Diversity: A Comprehensive Guide for Rural Communities

" The poster session proved to be a wonderful addition to CSRHA’s annual rural health conference," says Kiki Nocella, member of the RHRN Steering Committee and Assistant Clinical Professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine. CSRHA and the RHRN would like to thank all the poster session presenters who helped make the event a huge success. To view the list of poster session topics and authors, click here.

The RHRN also held its annual meeting that same evening. Rural providers and researchers interested in developing a statewide collaborative to foster the development of rural health research attended the meeting. Participants provided the RHRN steering committee with valuable feedback. The ideas generated from this discussion have been included in the 2006 annual goals, and will guide the activities of the RHRN this year. These goals include:

  1. Expanding the RHRN membership from 25 to 50
    members through increased outreach and valuable service
  2. Developing a process for better understanding of rural research expertise and to improve member participation in collaborative research project development
  3. Developing five research grants in 2006
  4. Outreaching to county public health departments to participate with the RHRN on projects, including the development of local and statewide rural health data sets and Medi-Cal managed care pre/post analysis
  5. Collaborating with the Department of Mental Health’s
    Human Resource Committee
  6. Expanding annual poster session participation during CSRHA annual rural health conference
  7. Completing the online information and technical assistance center on CSRHA’s website to include:
    • Directory of current members
    • An online forum for members and other interested parties to post and answer questions and discuss issues of concern
    • Updated list of research grant opportunities
    • Updated list of rural recent rural research published and in progress
  8. Establishing an online message board for members and interested parties to communicate regular updates of RHRN activities, grant opportunities, and upcoming meetings or workshops that may interest rural researchers

Click here to view the minutes from the RHRN 2005 annual meeting. Click here to learn more about the RHRN.

The RHRN meets via conference call the last Tuesday of every month from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. The RHRN invites anyone with an interest in developing California’s capacity to generate rural health services research to join the call. Contact Desiree Rose, CSRHA Development Manager, at drose@csrha.org for more information.

Article Posted 01/31/06